Devils Trade For Meier and Others in Blockbuster Move

Sunday evening, around 4:45 pm EST, news broke that the San Jose Sharks agreed upon trading star Winger Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils. The only thing, though, no one knew what other details of the trade entailed.

From different sources, there had been speculation that Forwards Dawson Mercer and Alexander Holtz had been part of the trade. The main source fans were receiving information from was Pierre LeBrun, a commentator for TSN, and Elliotte Friedman, a reporter for Sportsnet. Both Mercer and Holtz were later confirmed not to be part of the trade, but Fabian Zetterlund was speculated as part of the trade.

Finally, after four hours, the details officially came out, and both teams confirmed that the deal had been made.

The Devils would be receiving Meier, Defensemen Scott Harrington and Santeri Hatakka, Winger Timur Ibragimov, and Goaltender Zachary Emond, as well as a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. 

The Sharks would be receiving Zetterlund and forward Andreas Johnsson, defensemen Nikita Okhotiuk and Shakir Mukhamadullin, a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, as well as a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The Sharks also are retaining 50% of Timo Meier’s salary as part of the deal.

Trading for Meier is a relief for Devils fans, some of who have been pushing to trade since early December. In 57 games played, Meier has 31 goals and 21 assists this season. A piece like Meier might just be what the Devils needed to get them all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals come time for the postseason.

Meier last played for San Jose on February 18th, as he’s been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He will be meeting the Devils in Denver on February 28th, ahead of the Devils’ matchup with the Colorado Avalanche on March 1st.